Why I stand for Canadian foreign assistance

One of my earliest childhood memories is of watching World Vision stories on TV showing children my age living in extreme poverty in Africa.

My grandmother will often recount finding me in tears in front of the television when I was a toddler. Back then and throughout my life, I have been struck by the senselessness of the sight of people starving in comparison to the life that I live in Canada.

It is difficult to reconcile how people can be starving in a world of plenty. I have struggled with feelings of helplessness at how I can play a part in being the solution to this problem. As a Canadian, I have always been conscious of our reputation as humanitarians and peacekeepers in the world – and I have really embraced this as part of my Canadian identity.

Sarah tabled for the Museum of AIDS at the International AIDS Conference in 2012.

It wasn’t until I became a ONE member however, that I realized that my most valuable asset was there all along – my voice. We all have the power to really effect social change by using our voices to influence our politicians and policy makers to let them know that we care about the world’s most poor and vulnerable.

A very wise man once told me that if I see a need, I am called to meet that need. The world’s poor have a need that we all can fill, which is to tell our government to protect our Canadian foreign aid budget.

In this very crucial budget season in Canada, please take a moment to sign this important petition to protect the Canadian foreign aid budget. Making any cuts to this budget will not balance our Canadian budget – and will have devastating consequences to very effective Canadian programs currently in place benefiting mothers and their newborns, helping to vaccinate children, and helping to lift millions out of poverty.

Let us continue to show the world that Canada wants to be a leader in the fight against extreme global poverty and preventable diseases. Join me, Sarah Stone, in protecting Canada’s foreign aid budget. Use your voice and be part of the solution.

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